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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28803846">All The Small Things</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatsYourNameMan/pseuds/WhatsYourNameMan'>WhatsYourNameMan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>It’s not Sunset Cis either [18]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Alex is the Dad Friend, Allergies, Anxiety Attacks, Asthma, Headaches &amp; Migraines, Lalex is pre-canon, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Trans Alex Mercer, Trans Character, Trans Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Trans Reggie Peters, Underage Drinking, What’s in Alex’s fanny pack, Willex is canon/post-canon, blood (not super graphic), bobby beats up a queerphobe, he/they willie, it’s just fluff about Alex’s Fanny pack, these tags make it sound darker than it is, vague references to transphobia/homophobia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:54:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,298</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28803846</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatsYourNameMan/pseuds/WhatsYourNameMan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>5 times Alex saves the day with his fanny pack and 1 time Willie uses it to save him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Mercer &amp; Julie Molina &amp; Flynn, Alex Mercer &amp; Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson &amp; Alex Mercer, Luke Patterson/Alex Mercer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>It’s not Sunset Cis either [18]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022667</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>304</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>All The Small Things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Content warnings for all the stuff in the tags and idk if I need to tag this but Willie mentions fungus-induced ant suicide. </p><p>The first 2020 scene is during canon and everything after that is post-canon. </p><p>This was a request from satisfictiion on tumblr: “could you write something about what Alex has in his fanny pack? (I can't stop thinking about the theory that he protects the band's 1 collective brain cell with it, haha)”</p><p>Title from “All The Small Things” by Blink-182. The “It’s not Sunset Cis either” playlist can be found <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Jhsn0cg0JZskwAGwc6ZXP?si=-SUrLQPgS_mbtwaUzl2tcQ%E2%80%9C">here</a>.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>1993.</b>
</p><p>As soon as school lets out, Alex, Luke, and Bobby take off running towards the studio. None of them have heard from Reggie since lunch, which wouldn’t be unusual in and of itself, as with the exception of English, he’s mostly in advanced classes the others don’t qualify for. However, Rachel Manning had come up to Luke in last period and asked why Reggie wasn’t in math class. Reggie <i>loves</i> math, so the only way he would ever miss it if is he wasn’t at school, and he usually let one of them know when he was about to leave, but today he just <i>disappeared</i>. </p><p>Alex tries not to let his thoughts get the better of him as they sprint towards Bobby’s house, but he can’t keep his mind off all the horrible things that could have happened to his friend between lunch and now. He scans his memory for any signs that Reggie was off, but all he can come up with was that he was a little less talkative than usual at lunch. </p><p>They finally reach the garage and Luke, ever lacking in subtlety, bangs the door open. </p><p>“Reg?” he calls into the dark studio. </p><p>He’s greeted by a low moan. </p><p>“Shut up,” Reggie hisses from the couch. </p><p>The boys move closer and find their friend huddled in a blanket cocoon, his face buried against the couch cushions. Alex kneels down beside him and places a hand on what he assumes is Reggie’s arm, somewhere beneath all the blankets. </p><p>“What’s wrong, buddy?” Alex whispers. </p><p>“Migraine,” Reggie whimpers. </p><p>Bobby hums sympathetically and goes to grab a water bottle from the mini fridge. Luke shuts the garage doors, blocking out the rest of the light, and Reggie lets out a sigh of relief. </p><p>“Can you sit up for a second?” Alex asks. Reggie groans in response, and Alex lets out a soft chuckle. “I know, but I have something that’ll help.”</p><p>Reggie grumbles something Alex can’t quite make out, but he sits up anyway. Alex gives him a soft smile and reaches into his fanny pack, pulling out a small bottle of painkillers. He shakes two out and hands them to Reggie, then takes the water bottle from Bobby and hands that to Reggie as well. </p><p>Luke takes a seat next to Reggie, and when the bassist is done swallowing the pills, Luke maneuvers him so his head is in Luke’s lap. Luke starts running his fingers through Reggie’s hair, and Reggie sighs contentedly. </p><p>“I’m sorry for being loud,” Luke says, “but you can’t just disappear on us.” </p><p>“Didn’t want you to worry,” Reggie mumbles. </p><p>“Dude,” Alex says. “Vanishing without a word is exactly how you get us to worry.” </p><p>“Sorry.” </p><p>Alex lays his head on Reggie’s side, and Bobby settles in at Reggie’s feet. </p><p>“It’s okay,” Alex says. “Just get some rest.”</p><p>Reggie hums and the four of them drift off together, any thought of rehearsing long forgotten. </p><p>
  <b>1994.</b>
</p><p>“I’m telling you,” Luke says, wildly waving his fork around, “this gig is the one. I can feel it. Something special’s going to happen.” </p><p>Alex watches him talk, slightly worried that the cake is going to fly right off the fork and hit the couple at the table next to them. He doesn’t say anything about it though, because Luke’s energy is infectious. </p><p>They’re on a date, or the closest thing they can get to one. It was easier before Alex cut his hair, but now that they’re both on hormones and passing regularly, they’ve had to majorly limit their PDA. To make up for it, they always order dessert, just to make things feel more special. Alex got to pick tonight, and he chose cake, as always. </p><p>“I went to see a show there with Reggie last week,” Luke says, “and the place was <i>crawling</i> with promoters. Maybe there’ll even be someone from the Orpheum.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Alex scoffs. “I’m sure the Orpheum promoter spends all his time at dumpy cafes on Thursday nights.” </p><p>“I’m serious, man,” Luke says, finally taking his first bite of cake, even though it’s been on his fork for the past five minutes. “This is our chance.” </p><p>Alex rolls his eyes, but he gives Luke a fond smile and knocks their knees together under the table. Luke grins back at him, and he’s about to say something when his eyes widen and his face falls into a frown. </p><p>“Alex,” he says. “What’s in this cake?” </p><p>Alex looks at the description of the cake on the menu, which he admittedly hadn’t read before ordering. “Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and...” he trails off, eyes widening at the last word. </p><p>“And what?” Luke asks, his voice more panicked. </p><p>Alex bites his lip. “Almonds.”</p><p>“Shit,” Luke gasps, dropping the fork. </p><p>Alex’s heart kicks into high gear. “Maybe there wasn’t any in the piece you ate? Do you feel anything?”</p><p>“My throat,” Luke says, his hand flying up to grasp at his neck. “Alex,” he whines, desperately looking to his boyfriend for help. </p><p>“Okay,” Alex says, ripping open his fanny pack and fumbling through it, “it’s going to be okay.” </p><p>He finally finds his epipen and yanks it out. He gets up to kneel next to Luke. With practiced hands (Alex has a lot of allergies himself), he injects the pen into Luke’s leg, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand as he does so, not really caring that the eyes of the other diners are on them. </p><p>“Take a deep breath,” Alex says, giving Luke a reassuring smile. “It’ll only take a minute to work.” </p><p>Luke nods and keeps his scared eyes locked on Alex. His breathing slowly starts to even out, and a tear slips from his eye. Alex quickly reaches up to wipe it away. </p><p>“How do you feel?” Alex asks. </p><p>“Better,” Luke responds, his voice raspy. </p><p>“Excuse me,” someone says, and the boys look over to see the woman at the table next to them watching with concern. “Do you want me to call an ambulance?” </p><p>Alex and Luke share a look, both knowing full well they won’t be able to afford an ambulance ride.</p><p>“No,” Alex says, “I’ll drive him. Thank you, though.”</p><p>The woman nods. “You go ahead, I’ll pay for your meals.”</p><p>“Thank you so much,” Alex says. He knows the polite thing to do would be to refuse, but he wants to get Luke to the ER as soon as possible, so he doesn’t have time to go through the act. </p><p>He helps Luke stand on shaky legs and walks him out to the van. Alex gets into the driver’s seat, and he drives above speed limit for the first time in his life. He keeps his hand on Luke’s, checking every twenty seconds to see if Luke’s okay. </p><p>They pull up to the hospital, but before Alex can get out, Luke presses a kiss to the back of his hand. </p><p>He shoots Alex a weak smile and says, “Thank god for that stupid fucking fanny pack.”</p><p>
  <b>1995.</b>
</p><p>“What the fuck were you thinking?” Alex shoves Bobby so he’s sitting on the counter in the dingy bathroom of the club. They were having a fun time, in the audience for once, when Bobby had to go and get decked by a guy three times his size.</p><p>“I was thinking that guy was being a dick to my friends.” There’s absolutely no remorse in Bobby’s voice, despite the blood pouring from his nose into his mouth as he speaks. He leans over and spits some of it into the sink. “It was worth it.”</p><p>“Really, Bobby? A broken nose is worth it?” </p><p>Bobby rolls his eyes. “It’s not broken.”</p><p>Alex lightly taps the bridge of his nose and Bobby lets out a yelp of pain. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Alex mutters. </p><p>He reaches for a paper towel, but the bathroom only has those stupid air dryers. He goes into the single stall to look for toilet paper, but the dispenser is empty. Alex sighs and opens his fanny pack, rooting around for his tissues. </p><p>“Well,” Alex says, coming back to Bobby, “I have bad news and only slightly-less-worse news. Bad news is, Luke used the last of my tissues when we watched <i>Forrest Gump</i>. Slightly-less-worse news...”</p><p>He pulls two tampons out of the fanny pack and holds them up for Bobby to see. Bobby’s eyes widen in horror.</p><p>“Lex...”</p><p>Alex fixes him with his best Dad Friend Glare. “Bobby.”</p><p>“I’m not walking out of here with tampons shoved up my nose.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, you need to go to the hospital, and I’m not going to let you bleed all over my van, so if you have any other suggestions, I’m all ears.” </p><p>Bobby huffs. “Fucking smart ass,” he growls, but he swipes the tampons from Alex’s hand and starts inserting them into his nose. </p><p>Once they’ve blocked the bleeding, they go out to the parking lot, Bobby keeping his head down as they move through the crowd. Reggie and Luke are perched on the hood of the van, finishing their beers. They burst out laughing as soon as they see Bobby’s face.</p><p>“Yeah, laugh it up, chuckleheads,” Bobby grumbles. He takes Luke’s beer and downs the rest of it. “Not like I saved your asses or anything.”</p><p>“Look at our noble hero, Luke,” Reggie jokes through his wheezes. </p><p>“Fuck you.” Bobby gets into the passenger seat and Alex slides into the driver’s. </p><p>“Hey,” Alex says as Luke and Reggie scramble to get in the back. “Thanks for sticking up for us. Really.”</p><p>“You guys are my brothers,” Bobby shrugs. “I’d do anything for you. But this?” He gestures to the tampon strings hanging out of his nose. “You owe me big time for this.”</p><p>
  <b>August 2020.</b>
</p><p>Alex would absolutely never admit it to the guys, but ever since he shared a stage with Dirty Candi he’s been obsessed with them. He loves their music, and dancing isn't quite as exhilarating as drumming, but it's still something he wishes he got to do more. So, when he's not with Willie or the band, he sneaks off to join Dirty Candi rehearsals, unbeknownst to anyone in the group. </p><p>Today, Julie is hanging out with Flynn after school, Luke is with his parents, and Reggie is with Ray, so Alex has the whole afternoon to himself. </p><p>He poofs over to the Wilsons' mansion, though he misses his mark and lands in the driveway next to Carrie's car. He's about to poof again when he hears someone hiss—</p><p>"Pull harder."</p><p>"I'm trying!" Another voice responds. </p><p>Alex walks around the car to find Julie and Flynn kneeling next to one of Carrie's tires. </p><p>"Julie?" he asks, and she jumps. </p><p>"Alex!" she yelps, startling Flynn, who looks around for any sign of the ghost boy. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>“Ummmm,” Alex begins, his voice high, “haunting Bobby?” </p><p>Julie raises a skeptical eyebrow, but Alex chooses to ignore it.</p><p>“What are <i>you</i> doing here?” he asks. </p><p>Julie sighs. “Carrie was more of a jerk than usual to Flynn today, so we’re taking the air out of her tires.” </p><p>Flynn nods, following Julie’s gaze to where she assumes Alex is. “But the stupid valve cap is stuck on there.”</p><p>Alex hums and thinks for a second before unzipping his fanny pack. “Here,” he says, producing a drum key, “try this. It might give you more leverage.” </p><p>He hands the key to Julie and she just stares at him. “Really? You’re not even gonna question it?” </p><p>Alex shrugs. “Sometimes we’d do this to Bobby when he was being an ass.” He thinks for a moment. “Or just for fun. It was mostly for fun.”</p><p>Julie grins and passes off the key to Flynn. “So this is multi-generational revenge.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Alex says. “Trevor Wilson is definitely an ass.”</p><p>Flynn places the key on the valve and uses the handle to twist it. The cap pops right off and the tire starts to deflate.</p><p>“Mission accomplished,” she beams, throwing the cap into the bushes and high-fiving Julie. “I just wish we could be here to see her reaction.”</p><p>“I can stick around for a while,” Alex suggests. He doesn’t mention it’s because he was already planning on shadowing Carrie for the rest of the afternoon.</p><p>Julie relays the message to Flynn, who nods enthusiastically. Julie pulls her phone out of her pocket and hands it to Alex. </p><p>“Take a picture of her face when she realizes,” she says. “You remember how to do that, right?”</p><p>Alex nods and admits with a shy smile, “Sometimes Willie and I steal tourists’ phones and take a bunch of weird pictures.” Julie shoots him a disappointed look, and he quickly adds, “We give them back!” </p><p>“Mhm,” Julie hums. “Just be careful with that. If you break it you have to buy me a new one.” </p><p>Alex carefully tucks the phone into his fanny pack and zips it up. “I’ll keep it strapped to my heart.”</p><p>
  <b>September 2020.</b>
</p><p>Willie rambles. A lot. It’s one of the things Alex loves most about them. They have a tendency to jump from topic to topic with the barest of connections, but Alex never has trouble following (his two best friends have ADHD, after all). It’s actually incredibly calming for Alex to just listen to his boyfriend and try to retrace what brought them to the current topic. </p><p>He thinks their current conversation started with something about zombies. He’s not entirely sure, but Willie’s <i>into</i> it, and their eyes are alight with excitement. </p><p>“This fungus, man, it’s gnarly. It takes over these ants’ nervous system, and it basically controls their minds, like zombies.”</p><p><i>Ah</i>, Alex thinks, <i>so</i> that’s <i>how they got here.</i> He tugs on Willie’s arm, maneuvering them so they don’t smash into a pair of lifers. The two of them are walking down Sunset Boulevard—well, Alex is walking, Willie is slowly rolling alongside on their board. It’s only been a couple weeks since Willie was freed from Caleb, and they’re still not used to being seen or felt by lifers. </p><p>Willie doesn’t even notice Alex’s guidance. “It forces them to jump out of trees into the dirt where a whole bunch of other fungi can eat at them, and then—fuck!”</p><p>Willie’s wheel catches on a deep crack in the sidewalk and pitches them forward onto the concrete. </p><p>“Willie!” Alex gasps, lunging forward to help them off the sidewalk. “Are you okay?” </p><p>“Yeah, man, I’m good,” Willie grins. They climb to their feet and glance down at their legs. There’s a large scrape on one of them, with some blood trickling down. “Oh,” Willie blinks. “That’s new.”</p><p>Alex laughs and drags Willie over to the nearest bench, making sure to grab their skateboard. </p><p>“What’re you doing?” Willie asks. </p><p>Alex kneels in front of them and unzips their fanny pack. “Fixing you.” He pulls out a tube of antiseptic and a bandaid. “This is going to sting,” he warns. </p><p>Willie rolls their eyes. “I’ve scraped my knee before, Hotdog.”</p><p>“It’s been thirty-one years since the last time you bled,” Alex says. “It might be worse than you remember. Now keep telling me about that fungus.”</p><p>“What was I saying?” Willie asks. “Oh, yeah! The fungus makes the ants jump out of trees and then eventually it makes them kill themselves—ah!” Willie hisses as the antiseptic hits their knee. </p><p>“Told you,” Alex smirks. They unwrap the bandaid and gently place it over Willie’s scrape.  </p><p>Willie quirks an eyebrow at him. “Aren’t you going to kiss it better?” </p><p>Alex grins and presses his lips to the bandaid. “Better?”</p><p>“Mm, a little bit,” Willie says, “but I think I need something stronger.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” Alex asks. </p><p>“Yeah.” Willie grabs the strap of Alex’s Fanny pack and drags him up until their lips connect. </p><p>When they finally pull apart, Willie grins down at Alex. “You cured me.”</p><p>“Dork,” Alex scoffs. He hands Willie their skateboard and pulls them up off the bench. “Come on.” </p><p>They set off down the street again, hand in hand this time, with Willie’s board tucked under their arm. </p><p>“Oh!” Willie says, only a couple steps from the bench. “Did you know ants have been around since the Crustaceous era? They’re literally as old as dinosaurs...”</p><p>
  <b>October 2020.</b>
</p><p>Alex should have cancelled this date. He’s been on edge since he work up this morning, and <i>he should have cancelled this date.</i> It’s a constant refrain that runs through his head. </p><p>It’s been two months since he met Willie, and by some miracle, he’s never had a panic attack in front of the skater. That might change today, and that just adds to the anxiety. He doesn’t want Willie to see this side of him. It’s gross, and scary, and it can be really fucking overwhelming for someone who’s never dealt with stuff like this before.</p><p>His leg is bouncing so hard it shakes the table, and he’s trying to focus on Willie, he really is, but he can’t stop his eyes from darting around the restaurant, taking stock of all the exits. </p><p>“You good, Hotdog?” Willie asks, placing a gentle hand on Alex’s. </p><p>“Yeah,” Alex says, cringing at the shake in his voice. “I’ll be— I’m—“</p><p>And <i>fuck,</i> now he’s making a fool of himself in front of Willie. His breathing starts to get shallower, and a slight frown crosses Willie’s face. Great, now he’s upset him. </p><p>“Alex?” Willie asks. </p><p>“I—I can’t—<i>fuck</i>.” Alex tears his eyes away from Willie’s, crossing into hyperventilation territory. </p><p>“Hey,” Willie says, getting up and kneeling next to Alex. “It’s okay. Is—is it your anxiety?” </p><p>Alex nods, and he can’t stand how scared and uncertain Willie looks, so he squeezes his eyes shut. </p><p>“Can I touch you?” Willie asks, and Alex nods, so he takes one of the drummer’s hands and places it on his chest. “Feel my breathing,” Willie says, taking a deliberate, deep breath. “Try and match it.” </p><p>Alex tries, he really tries, but the air just isn’t coming. He chokes out a sob.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Willie says again, “you’re doing great. You have an inhaler, right? Do you need it?”</p><p>Alex nods, still gasping for air. He feels Willie pry open his fanny pack and rummage around inside of it, and a moment later there’s plastic pressing on his lips. He has the presence of mind to take the inhaler from Willie and do it himself. His chest starts to loosen a bit, and then his hand is back on Willie’s chest. He doesn’t need instructions; he focuses on following his boyfriend’s breathing. </p><p>Eventually, his breathing evens out and he comes back to reality, though he still feels shaky. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” he says immediately, pulling his hands away from Willie’s. </p><p>“What for?” Willie asks.</p><p>“I didn’t want you to have to see me like that. I know it’s a lot.”</p><p>Willie frowns and takes Alex’s hands back. “It’s part of you, Hotdog. And I love <i>every</i> part of you. You don’t have hide it from me.” </p><p>Alex nods, but he still doesn’t meet Willie’s eyes. </p><p>“Hey,” Willie says, giving Alex’s hands a little shake, which earns him the slightest smile. “What d’you say we get out of here and go watch a movie or something? Something more low key? And then when you’re ready—doesn’t have to be tonight— you can tell me how to help if this happens again?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Alex says, finally looking at Willie. “That sounds great.”</p><p>“Rad,” Willie grins. He takes Alex’s inhaler and tuck it back into his fanny pack before gently zipping the bag up. He grabs the strap and uses it to pull Alex in for a kiss. “Love you, Hotdog.”</p><p>“I love you, too,” Alex responds, and for the first time that night he gives Willie a genuine smile.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In conclusion, Alex doesn’t <i>literally</i> have the band’s one collective brain cell in his fanny pack, but all his friends would not have survived as long as they did without that fanny pack. </p><p>Comments and kudos are much appreciated if you enjoyed :) </p><p>I’m wr0temyway0ut on tumblr if you want to come chat about these ghosties or request a fic for this series.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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